Trip to Newfoundland-July 2 to July19, 1998

Thursday, July 2 High Bridge to Vernon Connecticut 

Left High Bridge at 3:30 PM with a stop at Naugatuck to see Christopher, Emily, Arnie and Melinda. Emily isn't showing much interest in coming along

 

 

Friday July 3 Vernon Ct to Portland with stop in Ogunquit 

Traffic was very busy from Lowell to the New Hampshire tolls even though we had left Vernon at 7:00 am. The traffic was bumper to bumper with speeds never exceeding 40 mph.  We stopped to have lunch in Ogunquit and had a nice chat with Tim Tower, captain of the fishing boat Bunnyclark. Arrived in Portland at around 2:30 PM and went to the visitors center. Downtown Portland is a very interesting restored old section with many shops and attractions-and we decided that we must go for a weekend sometime. Went out to the Portland Head Light which was scenic and beautiful. Then we went to the USS Portland Monument. The USS Portland was a cruiser which served in many battles in World War II in the Pacific-approximately 21 killed on this ship.. Spoke to an older gentleman at the Memorial who knew much of the area and the ship. After lobster dinner at a dockside restaurant we had to go and line up for the Scotia Prince which is an overnight boat to Yarmouth, NS. The DEA had a drug sniffing dog who sniffed all the cars. The dog went crazy at a pickup truck and the men in blue really went through the truck but came away empty-handed.

The ship sailed at 9:00 PM with the fireworks going off at the Portland Head Lighthouse in the distance. We had an outside cabin. After loosing $20.00 in the casino and watching the dance entertainment on the boat we retired at about midnight for a nice sleep.

Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light

Harbor view from Portland Head Light

Site of Chritmas Eve wreck in 1866

Kayaker off shore

Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light

Longfellows poem about lightkeepers

Cape Elizabeth Light

Portland Harbor

Memorial to the USS Portland - a very busy cruiser in WWII

Along the Portland waterfront

Sunset from the Scotia Prince

Scotia Prince the ship that took us to Nova Scotia

Saturday July 4 Yarmouth to Chester on Nova Scotia

Went through customs in Yarmouth with no problem. The customs person asked the usual questions and inquired if I was bringing in any articles for self protection. They mean guns, mace or pepper spray-I pointed to Mom and said I was bringing her in for my protection. Even got a smile from the customs lady. Right outside the gate of the ferry terminal was a guy playing the bagpipes and another guy selling Cuban Cigars-No sale I quit two months ago. Drove from Yarmouth on the lighthouse trail through Shelbourne.  Shelbourne is just the same as it was five years ago-charming. Since then, the Scarlet Letter had been filmed there and the movie company has left some additional props (buildings) in the historical district. This is second year in a row where we had been to a town where a film had been made. Last year-1997-we were in Wallace, Idaho where Dante's Inferno was filmed. From Shelbourne we continued to Chester via Liverpool and Mahone Bay. I got gas in a small town about 5 miles from Mahone Bay and asked the attendant if the road in front of the gas station would take me through Mahone Bay and he said that he had never been east of the town we were in. Wow. Stopped at the Ovens- a series of caves opening into the ocean where the waves make thunderous sounds as they head into the cave. It is possible to take tours into the caves with rubber boat but we passed that.  Gold was mined here in the 1800's and some of the stones used to grind the ore are on display. You can still pan for gold if you want to work at it. This is a very lovely spot. Lunched at Liverpool before the ovens-great fresh seafood. Liverpool is the birthplace of Country star Hank Snow.

Stopped overnight in Chester figuring that since Chester had a playhouse, it would be a busy place. Wrong. High Bridge, NJ has more activity. The restaurant touted in the guide book had been closed for two years, but we found a restaurant with excellent food and a very self important waiter.

Saltmarsh at Yarmouth - very peaceful

Memorial to fishermen in Shelbourne

Seashore along the Ovens Park

Gold Ore Crushing apparatus at the Ovens

Cave at the Ovens

Cave explorers from the sea at the Ovens

Ovens

Ovens

Sunday July 5 Halifax to Truro 

Drove to Halifax from Chester driving the coastal route-Scenic beyond belief but then we hadn't seen Newfoundland yet. At Halifax we went to the Tattoo which is a military band assembly. Unbelievable color, pomp and music. The pipers were practicing outside the hall and we listened to them warming up for quite a while. The Tattoo was a spectacle. There were many countries represented. One of the groups was from Germany. They had 4 guys who played the Alpen Horns. I never thought these were a serious instrument but the sounds were beautiful. I can only think of the Riccola Cough drop add that Grandpa Buza-Herbie- would laugh about. The German band also carried a standard which except for the missing eagle on top reminded one of the rallies seen on TV at Nuremberg (eerie). The Swiss acrobats put on a comedy routine which kept everyone laughing. After the Tattoo we left for Truro to get a jump on the Newfoundland ferry for Monday afternoon. I almost got a ticket in crossing the Dartmouth bridge. It seems that the Canadian practice for paying a toll is to give the toll collector a dollar to get the change and then deposit the required amount in a hopper. I gave the guy a $5.00 got change and thinking I had paid drove through. When I heard the yelling I stopped and realized the error. Oh well. At Truro we went to the Tidal Bore viewing area at 10:30 PM.  The bore was about 12 inches high and you could see it and hear it coming up the river in a rush. Within minutes the river which was previously calm and dead, became a torrent of rushing water in the opposite direction. Within 15 minutes, the river had risen over three feet.

Along the coast Chester to Halifax

Along the coast to Halifax

Along the coast to Halifax

Tatoo in Halifax

Tatoo in Halifax

Tatoo in Halifax

Tatoo in Halifax

Tatoo in Halifax

Tatoo in Halifax

Thats a foot and a half of water rushing upstream - its a tidal bore.

Monday July 6 Truro to North Sydney to Argentia, Newfoundland

Breakfasted in New Glasgow and drove to Antigonish to exchange money. Drove through Baddeck to North Sydney and made reservations for the Men of the Deeps concert on July 14, 1998. After lunch had to get in line for the Joseph and Clara Smallwood ferry to Newfoundland. This is some operation. We were delayed by about one hour because the other ferry the Caribou-had engine problems and was late in unloading. Maybe not a good omen as we are taking the Caribou back to Nova Scotia. The Smallwood is and amazing ferry. It also serves as an icebreaker in the winter. We had an inside cabin for the 14 hour trip to Nfld.

Caribou Ferry in Sidney, NS

Caribou on way to Port Aux Basques

Caribou on way to Port Aux Basques

From the deck of the Smallwood

Workboat

Leaving Nova Scotia

Leaving Nove Scotia

Dinner on board was edible-that’s it. There were three modes of entertainment on board. A fiddle player who played in the general seating area before and in between the movies. Two folksingers who played in the bar/lounge and did a lot of Irish and also funny stuff. And then the Movies. We enjoyed two sets of the Irish singers and then headed off to bed at around 11:00 as the boat was scheduled to land at 6:00 am with the delay.

Tuesday July 7 Argentia,Nfld to St. John's Nfld. Very Foggy

After getting of the boat at 7:00 AM we had breakfast in Placentia hoping that the fog would lift. No such luck. We started to drive to Cape St. Mary's in the fog. Cape St. Mary's has a bird preserve where Puffins are known to exist. When we got there the fog horn at the lighthouse was a musical instrument. I walked to the edge of the cliff and could hear all kinds of birds and also the waves but could only see about 4 feet in front of me. After watching the virtual puffins, we continued along the way around the Avalon peninsula. I have since copied and inserted a picture of the lighthouse at Cape St. Mary's and a group of puffins. By 10:00 am the fog lifted and it became sunny. The coast was unlike any we have ever seen. Barren except for small villages now and then. Rocky coast with lovely coves and Harbors. The pictures here are from  the net.

 

We stopped in Ferryland-very picturesque and also Witless Bay where we saw our first iceberg. Not too big but it was there. We also stopped at the Rocky River Fish ladder which permits Atlantic salmon to go upstream for fish sex. The fisheries person at the ladder said that there had been no fish that day but that the previous day a few had made their ascent. Good job - stand there and count no fish for a day. Oh well. We arrived at St. John's around 5:30 in the afternoon after the all day drive thru the barren coast line. Along the way we stopped at a small community called St. Shotts. Picturesque and almost abandoned because of the fishing moratorium for cod. We saw three Caribou on the way out of St. Shotts. 

Rocky River Fish Ladder

Boats at St. Shotts

Four legged caribou along road to St. Shotts

Rocks close to Ferryland

Our first view of an iceberg

 

Newfoundland-the home of the Grand Banks-Cod country has no notable cod fishery anymore. Recreational fishermen in all of Newfoundland can only fish for cod three days a year in September and then can keep 10 per day. The commercial fishery consists of a few chosen fishermen who can catch up to 1500 lbs. per day-hand lining-no nets. There is a limit also to how many days they can do this-I think it was five days a year with the days varying by area. The fish have to be measured and evaluated to determine if the ground stocks are re-plentishing. You can fish in the ocean for other species other than cod but if you fish with any rig that could be constituted to be able to catch cod-you can have your boat confiscated and also face a heavy fine.

After dinner in St. Johns where we had codfish tongues (not to our taste) we went to see the Lighthouse at Fort Amherst. Up until the 1970's the Amherst area of St Johns was a walk in community along a cliff. No cars. Just a wooden walkway along the piers. Now you can drive in but to get to the lighthouse you must walk along an uphill paved roadway on the edge of a cliff. Mom loved this. The lighthouse itself was in a beautiful spot on the southern edge of the Narrows leading into St. Johns Harbor. St Johns harbor is one of the most beautiful I have seen. On the north shore of the Narrows there is a cliff approximately 1000 feet straight out of the ocean at the point of entry into the ocean. The cliff is called Signal Hill. There is a museum at the Lighthouse and the woman running it was very interesting to talk to. It seems she is married to a man whose father was the last lighthouse keeper. She knew much about the area and besides was an excellent photographer.

Signal Hill from Fort Amherst

Signal Hill from Fort Amherst

Ft. Amherst from Signal Hill

Ft. Amherst Lighthouse

Fort Amherst from Signal Hill

 

Wednesday July 8 St. John's

Today we decided to stick around St. Johns and see the area here. Started out by trying to find our way up Signal Hill. Wound up on back end of hill at Cuckolds Cove. This was the area that married women from the fort met their paramours. Thus Cuckolds cove. Finally located the way up. Signal Hill has a tower built to honor John Cabot's 400th year celebration in 1897. The view from up here is amazing. A great look at the Amherst lighthouse we visited the day before and a great view of the narrows and the harbor. At the tower mom was asking for directions to a store downtown. The sales clerk explained that the store was on Water street right next to the subway. I said that I didn't think St. Johns was big enough for a subway. The clerk said Subway sandwich shop. Chalk one up to dumb old me.

The Marconi Plaque

The reader at Signal Hill Tower

Signal Hill Tower

View of St. John's Harbor from Signal Hill

View of St. John's Harbor from Signal Hill

The Redcoats are coming - Soldier Drill Demo at Signal Hill

Soldier Drill Demo at Signal Hill

Soldier Drill Demo at Signal Hill

Soldier Drill Demo at Signal Hill

Soldier Drill Demo at Signal Hill

 After the tower we went to Cape Spear Lighthouse which is the most eastern point in North America. It has a lighthouse and a rocky cliff like coast. The best surprise here was that on the way down the path to the most eastern point, we could hear the blow of a whale. Sure enough, right there in front of us were a few whales looking for capelin.  Then some porpoises showed up. Quite a show for free.

 

 

After shopping and some lunch we went to the Memorial University of Newfoundland Aquaculture exhibit. Beautiful site on a great cove. The site is studying seals, and fish with the object to increase economic activity in these species.For dinner I tried a caribou steak at a restaurant serving wild game and found this also not to be to my taste. Later we went down to the main entertainment street - George St. and listened to some Celtic music in a local pub.

Thursday July 9  St. John's to Twillingate

Left St. Johns at 7:30 am for the 275 mile drive to Twillingate. Distances are quite deceiving on this island. It is the 16th largest island on earth. Twillingate is an island in the north central part of the island-due north from Gander. We were going there to take a Iceberg tour boat as Twillingate was one of the last remaining places where Icebergs were still around this time of year. On the way we stopped at the Silent Witness memorial. The memorial is to honor the 248 US airborne troops and 8 crewmembers of the DC 8 that crashed during the 1980's at Gander during take off after a refueling stop. The troops were on the way home from a peacekeeping mission in the Sinai. Very emotional spot. There is a cross also at the memorial which is made from the remains of one of the exit doors from the ill fated plane. I remember the crash from news on TV and this stop really brings it home. Hard to keep a dry eye here and we didn't.

At Twillingate we went to the Long Point Lighthouse. There was a very large iceberg right in front of the lighthouse. It was also on this day that mom ran out of underwear. At the lighthouse there was a craft shop which mom had to go into. I told mom to check it out for craft underwear. The museum at Twillingate was excellent. Much local information. Twillingate was the town that Dr. Olds practiced surgery. He worked in this area for 40-50 years. There is a book out about him "An American Surgeon in Newfoundland".

Long Point Lighthouse

Iceberg off Long Poing

Iceberg in the distance at Long Point

Long Point Lighthouse

Iceberg from the cemetery at Twillingate

Canadian Coast Guard Cutter at Twillingate

Boats at Twillingate

For dinner we selected a dinner theater group-The Fisher Players. This group of unemployed fishermen and women prepare a home cooked stuffed cod dinner with all the fixings and then perform Newfoundland skits and songs for about one hour after the dinner. The cost was 25.00 per person. The skits were quite funny even though the accent was hard to pick out at times.

Friday July 10 Twillingate to Corner Brook

The Wind was howling all night at 25 knots, and it was a rainy cold morning in Twillingate. Upon waking we found out that the iceberg/whale boats would not be going out because of the weather. Rather than sticking around another day we decided to head for Corner Brook(250 miles away) and get ready to go to Gros Morne National Park on Saturday or Sunday. We stopped at Grand Falls to take a look at the falls and found out there was a salmon fish ladder and salmon viewing area at the falls. There was one place where the salmon would jump right in front of you-not more than 5 feet away. The big ones were really quick and could jump long distances. In addition there was a viewing area where you could watch the salmon through glass as they swam around a holding pool to give them some rest after the arduous ladder climb. The Atlantic salmon do not die after spawning like the Pacific Salmon. The Atlantic salmon make on the average three runs up the river and return every other year. They spend the winter in the river and return to the ocean in the spring-they do not eat while in the fresh water and return as long thin slivers.

Grand Falls

Rapids at Grand Falls

Fish Ladder at Grand Falls

We continued towards Corner Brook and the scenery changed markedly. While the eastern part of Newfoundland has rolling landscape it is relatively level. About 60 miles east of Corner Brook, the landscape takes on a mountainous look. The mountains while not high are spectacular and remind us of Wyoming and Montana as the road snakes around them. We arrived in Corner Brook at around 5:30 PM and settled into the Glynmill Hotel. Excellent choice-A refurbished old style hotel with excellent rooms and services. Corner Brook is a city of 22000 which primarily is supported by a large paper mill. There is also a ski hill at CB. The setting for Corner Brook is spectacular. It is at the end of the Humber Arm which is a huge bay with cliff like sides. According to the local brochures Bottle Cove at the mouth of Humber Arm is a great spot to watch a sunset. Since the weather had cleared in the afternoon we set off for Bottle Cove at around 7:30 PM. At 8:30 PM we arrived at bottle Cove and the sun was still up in the air. We started to talk to an older gentleman who was fishing for sea trout with a fly rod. He wanted to give me the fish but I couldn't take them with no place to pan fry them.

Boats hauled out at Bottle Cove

The lone fisherman at Bottle Cove

Sunset at Bottle Cove

He was complaining that the fish were on the small side and that he could only take 12 by law. Since neither he or his wife ate trout I was wondering about the need to complain. The sun finally set magnificently at around 9:30 PM. Since we had killed the supper hour we had to scramble to find a restaurant that would serve us and finally located a Jungle Jim's which took us in at 10:45 PM. I found out here mom likes reggae music (not)

Saturday July 11 Corner Brook to Gros Morne 

After breakfast we decided that since it was gorgeous(mostly mom's idea) we should do the Gros Morne boat ride this day rather than the next day. Carpe Diem. At 8:30 am we started out for Rocky Harbor to pick up the tickets we had reserved for the 1:00 pm boat ride. Rocky Harbor is about 1.5 hours from Corner Brook. After paying for the tickets we set of for Western Pond. The ride to Western Pond was another 30 minutes ride and then came the 3 km(1.8 mile) walk to the boats. It is an easy walk and mom made it with no trouble. We just took it slow. The walk itself is through some interesting landscape. Marsh and bog like with flowers(iris) and lots of berries. Western Pond is a lake 16 km long which was formed by retreating glaciers. It has sides which are cliffs which rise to about 2000 feet in spots. There are many waterfalls. This was a spectacular ride of 2.5 hours. Then you reverse the walk for 45 minutes. We stopped at Lobster Cove Lighthouse on the way back-picturesque. By now it was 5:30 PM and we realized that we had not eaten since 8:30 am. Bad Pizza tasted good. We were rally bushed when we got back to Corner Brook.

Boatride on Western Brook Pond - Gros Morne Park

Boatride on Western Brook Pond - Gros Morne Park

Boatride on Western Brook Pond - Gros Morne Park

Western Brook Pond

Western Brook Pond

Western Brook Pond

Western Brook Pond

Waterfall on the Western Broo Pond

Waterfall

Cut in the cliffs at Western Brook Pond

Boatride on Western Brook Pond - Gros Morne Park

Waterfall

Boatride on Western Brook Pond - Gros Morne Park

Boatride on Western Brook Pond - Gros Morne Park

Lilly along the path

Lobster Cove Light

Lobster Cove Light

Boats at Lobster Cove

Sunday July 12 Corner Brook to Cox's Cove to Stephenville

 Started late, after a scrumptious breakfast-Eggs Benedict on Smoked Salmon at the Glynmill Inn, to take a ride to Captain Cook's monument and Cox's Cove on the North side of the Humber Arm. Cooks monument overlooks Corner Brook and Cox's is 30 miles up the Humber and is also called the Bay of Islands. Here we encountered an idle fisherman who was very friendly and informative. The scene here is a beautiful bay with cliff like walls and lots of rocky islands. One of the things that we noticed throughout our trip in Newfoundland was that many houses in the outlying areas did not have front steps. The front door was there but depending on the slope of the land, there was as much as an 8 foot drop to the ground from the door. We inquired of the fisherman and he called the front door the second entrance. The side door is called the primary entrance and the secondary entrance was only for emergencies such as fire. The fisherman also explained that he has a cabin further up a river across the Bay of Islands and that he is not adverse to going there to poach a codfish if he sets his mind to. He has been fishing cod all his life and he will take one when he wants one. There is no way to dispose of cod on a commercial basis as cod can only be sold to a fish processing plant. Having a private agreement with a restaurant to supply fresh fish would not work since everybody knows everybody and the news of illegal sales would get around. He expressed real bitterness about the fishing conditions. He also explained that once you get out of town, you can build a cabin anywhere you want. That explains the many signs we saw on some roads that said no construction without a permit. I guess un posted land is fair game. We saw many cabins along roads that were not posted. He said that all you do is haul the material out there and build. No taxes. I didn't ask about pollution effects of human waste disposal. We got a real bonus at Cox's Cove-more whales right below us in the water.

Mom at Captain Cook's memorial

Me at Captain Cooks Memorial

Bay of Islands - there was a whale there but it dove

After Cox's Cove we left for Stephensville further down the coast towards our exit point Port Aux Basques. I wanted to ride the Port Au Port Peninsula to get a flavor of the French influence on NFLD. Stephenville itself is an old Air Force town created primarily during W.W.II. The ride around Port Au Port was disappointing as it was foggy and rainy. The restaurant we stopped in for lunch/dinner however showed that the French accent was alive and well on Nfld. People here are descendants of French that came here 300 years ago and speak English with a definite French Accent.

In the evening mom and I put $4 into slot machines in the hotel and I took $10.10 out for a good profit margin.

Monday July 13 Stephenville to Port Aux Basques

Started out around 9:00 am towards Port Aux Basques where we have to catch a ferry back to Nova Scotia on Tuesday am. We are only 50 miles from Port Aux Basques but we didn't arrive in Port Aux Basques until 2:00 PM. We took our time in going to different lighthouses along the way and taking in the beautiful sea coast. Cape Anguille was a gorgeous spot where we had the lighthouse to ourselves. We then drove through Codroy and stopped in the most amazing gas station convenience store we have ever seen. Once inside the store we noticed that the store stretches out to the side and has everything in it you could imagine. A complete drum set, oodles of guitars, a mandolin, amplifiers, refrigerators, large screen TV's, rubber slickers, boots, wool, meats, groceries. As one Newfoundlander explained this was a general merchandise store which as they say sells everything from needles to anchors. The condoms were on the wall between the film and voltage meters.

Somewhere allong the Western Shore

Cape Ray Lighthouse

Cape Ray

Cape Anguille

Cape Anguille

Cape Anguille

Somewhere along Western Newfoundland

It ain't the Jersey Shore

After checking in at the B&B we took a ride out to Rose Blanche on the South Shore to see the only granite lighthouse on Nfld. The coast here changes dramatically. Everything is green and mountainous but the green comes not from trees but from the tundra like plants that cover the landscape with only occasional trees. The coast is very rocky and the waves breaking some distance into the ocean testify to the treacherous shore. With the sun shining on the breaking waves, the scene was beautiful. It was some windy at the lighthouse so we didn't stay too long. On the way back we walked to see the Barachois Falls-really pretty-on a boardwalk path over the tundra like foliage.

Rose Blanche Lighthouse

Rose Blanche

Rose Blanche

Rose Blanche

Rose Blanche

Barachois Falls

View of Port aux Basques in the evening

Interesting dinner-Mom ordered scallops but they were bread balls. Some snooker since the restaurant was recommended.

At the B&B we met a professor from MIT and his traveling companioness. It really looked like he stole her from one of his classrooms. Mom said she didn't think they were married. The companioness said that they had taken a Major Nature walk during the day. There were also some Germans and a couple from Quebec. B&B was excellent.

Tuesday July 14  Port Aux Basques to North Sydney,Nova Scotia.

Ferry was delayed by approximately 1.5 hours. The ship-the Caribou has been having engine problems over the past few weeks. Funny thing here was that they vacuumed the inside of the car and also spray washed the underside of the car before letting you drive on to the ferry. They are concerned about bringing the potato blight to Nova Scotia and beyond. We didn't mind the delay at all as long as we got to North Sydney by 3:00 p.m to confirm our seats for the Men of the Deeps. The ride was smooth as glass even though there were approximately 4-6 foot seas. There was entertainment and we also read and before you knew it the ship was coming into the harbor.

Semi's waiting to be loaded on the Caribou

Ferry Caribou coming into port for loading

Ferry ship Caribou coming into Port aux Basques

After settling into a motel we drove out to Glace Bay to the Miners Museum to hear the Men of the Deeps. A chorus with members who work for the coal mines, The 1.5 hour performance this group put on was outstanding. It was/is one of the high lights of the trip. One Romeo in the audience had arranged that the leader of the chorus pause in the performance in order for him to propose marriage to his girlfriend. She accepted. It would have been funny if she would have said no.

Since we skipped dinner earlier we settled for a 11:00 PM pizza. Weather in Nova Scotia is definitely warmer than Nfld. I had to use A/C here.

Wednesday July 15  Sydney to Louisbourg to St. Peters

Happy Birthday to me. After the continental breakfast where I observed one woman toast and butter a half a loaf of bread we set of for the Fortress of Louisbourg. This is the restoration of the old French Fortress. The restoration is huge and done excellently with people dressed in period French Costumes and playing the roles of the people they dress up to impersonate. The restoration encompasses only 20-25% of the original fortress. At its height in 1745, Louisbourg had a population of 15,000 and had as many as 300 ships in its harbor. In 1745 a group of New England militia men came up and captured the town for the British. The New England merchants were tired of having French privateers seize their ships so they took the Fortress by attacking the fortress from the land side. They knew all the weaknesses as they themselves traded here. The fortress was handed over to the British by the NE militia and after a short period, the English returned Louisbourg to the French in exchange for French fortress on Sri Lanka. In 1758 the English re-captured Louisbourg and after a short occupation, brought in Welsh coal miners to tunnel under the sea walls, loaded the tunnels with gun-powder and blew the place sky high. The English had Halifax and didn't need another port on Nova Scotia so they decided that if we don't need it, nobody else can have it. Bureaucracy what it is however has helped the restoration of Louisbourg. The French kept copies of all documents in triplicate-one in Quebec City, one at Louisbourg and one in France. According to the guides, there were 775,000 pages of documents relating to Louisbourg including all the plans for the buildings..

We had lunch in a period restaurant and had a salmon steak dinner that approximated the style of cooking in 1745. Very tasty.

One of the activities for the day was to watch the replay of a punishment for an individual caught stealing a bottle of wine. He was marched to a pillory post and tied to it and all the kids were throwing grass in his face. His punishment was for 3 days at the post-two hours a day. The governors quarters were very ornate as were the quarters of the military engineer and the colony business manager. These guys lived fine.

French Fortress of Louisburg

Louisburg

Entrance Louisburg - If you wore red you were questioned as a spy/

Leading the guilty to the punishment block

When waterboarding was still legal.

Louisburg

Precession in Louisburg

Inside the Governors Mansion

Louisburg

We bought a loaf of bread from the fortress bakery. It was round and felt as hard as a bowling ball. We hoped to have it for breakfast tomorrow. After leaving Louisbourg we took a ride along the Mira river to Marian Bridge and then to Mira River to pick up the route along the Southern shore of the Bras de Or Lake. The Mira river is famous in song as is Marian Bridge so we decided that we had to see it. Once you see it you know why it is being about. We stopped in St. Peters for the evening at 6:00 PM. 

At St. Peters we had one of the gems of the trip. There is a canal with locks which is quite unique because it is a tidal area and the current can be puching against the gates from either direction. Thus the canal has double gates on each end of the lock. There was an old man there walking his dog and we got to talking about the conditions around St. Peters and such. At one point I asked him-"How often do the gates open?" His answer was a classic in my mind-"Whenever a boat comes by." We stayed at Joyces motel which had one of those matresses where you meet in the middle no matter where you started.

Thursday July 16 St. Peters,Nova Scotia to St. John,New Brunswick

Left St. Peters at around 8:30 and arrived in Truro at around 11:00 am. This was a scheduled stop to fulfill a promise I made to Mom to let her shop here on the way back. We spent about two hours in the shops and also at a clothing factory outlet. For lunch we had the bread that we bought in Louisbourg. I had to buy a knife to cut it. It was quite good.

From Truro we drove straight to St. John,New Brunswick. This town was enveloped in a light fog when we arrived and by 8:00 the fog was heavy. This city has very poor instructions on how to reach the information centers. A lot of it was by guess work and at one spot If I wouldn't have got out of the car and asked a pedestrian I never would have guessed that it was inside a Mall. The people at the Info booth agree that the sign's or the lack of signs suck but that is up to the city fathers. There was a blues festival in town but I was too tired to venture out late after a great dinner at Billy's Seafood Restaurant. Tomorrow it is down to Maine.

Friday July 17 St. John,NB to Boothbay Harbor 

Left St. John at 8:30 am and headed for the border. Everything was in a thick pea-soup fog. Gave up idea of taking ferry at St. George to Deer Isle to Campobello Island and crossing there. Drove through St. Andrews which is a touristy town full of shops right on the shore of Fundy Bay but didn't stop. Crossing the border at Calais was a snap. Only questions were -where are you from and have you bought anything. Our answer-New Jersey and three bottles of wine and approximately 200 in gifts. Drive to Boothbay Harbor was slow. Shore route US 1 is ok down to Bar Harbor but very busy in both directions after that. Besides it goes through every town with no bypasses. Stopped for a good lunch-lobster roll in Bucksport. Arrived in Boothbay Harbor at around 3:30 PM and checked into Browns Wharf Motel. This is an old sardine processing plant building which has been converted to a motel and marina. Every room has a water view and a roomy balcony. We have stayed here once before and find it to be excellent. It is about a 10 minute walk to the boardwalk bridge across the harbor to the downtown area. Boothbay is interesting in that it has a candle pin bowling alley on the waterfront. You get three shots at tall narrow pins with a ball maybe 1.5 times the size of a softball. The ball has no holes. Gutter balls are frequent. Had a twin lobster dinner at the fishermen's co-op. Two lobsters-$10.95. Best prices in town. After returning from downtown and dinner we just relaxed at the motel. I walked around the docks at the marina and looked at some of the pleasure craft tied up. Some were really big like the Wild Goose from Houston,TX and Weazor from Georgetown,Grand Cayman. Also Xanadu from San Antonio,TX. These were ocean going yachts which could cross it.

Saturday July 18 Boothbay Harbor to Naugatuck, CT

Breakfast at Browns Wharf, I had Finnies Creamed Haddie-creamed smoked haddock over toast-excellent. Mom had blueberry pancakes(3). I helped her finish one. Then we went to the local RC church which was having a craft fair and rummage sale. Mom bought some stuff for the grandkids and a wreath for the house. We left Boothbay at around 11:30 for the ride to Connecticut. The traffic was very busy Saturday, especially in the northerly direction. There was a 8 mile backup on the Maine Turnpike entrance north and a 1.5 mile backup on the last exit southbound for us. In addition, The New Hampshire Turnpike booths had a 1.5 mile backup going south(us) and easily another 6 mile backup in the northern direction. Moral of the story-If going to Maine for vacation don't do it on a Saturday unless it is 2:00 am when you get to the New Hampshire tolls. Traffic after this was busy south but no more backups. Spent the evening and night in Naugatuck with Arnie, Melinda, Christopher and Emily.

Sunday July 19 Naugatuck to High Bridge 

Left Naugatuck at 8:30 am and arrived home at 11:30 am. No problems other than Newfoundland withdrawal symptoms. Called the other kids to let them know that they would have to wait longer for their inheritance. Also found out that Kendra was expecting another grandchild for us. Expecting her third in February 1999(our seventh grandchild). Mom took me to dinner at Chubbies on Rt.31-I paid. Retrieved my e-mail messages in the morning for reading on the plane tomorrow-163 new messages in two weeks time. Since I can't weld an arse on to a cat(Newf. expression) I will have to return to BASF.

Newfoundland-1998 another nice place to bum around in.

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